Today is a special one.

For the 100th time…

Seems crazy, but today we celebrate our 100th edition of Seller Snacks (previously Midweek Clicks).

Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your Amazon selling journey.

We promise to continue blasting roundhouse kicks to bring you the most relevant and helpful seller news, tips, and hacks.

I also want to share deep gratitude for our mighty team of 20 at fbaleadlist.com who continue to dig deep and find gold amongst Amazon’s ever-changing marketplace shifts. Shine on you crazy diamonds.

If you have any suggestions for this publication or our online arbitrage leads moving forward, please hit reply.

We are human and really appreciate feedback and suggestions.

May 2025 bring you freedom of time and money so you can spend more of both with your family.

– Heath & Jason

OA LEADS SPECIAL

PS. As a thanks, you can use promo code ROUNDHOUSE100 for 25% off any open online arbitrage leads list at fbaleadlist.com for the next 3 days.

Click here to view lists.

Do You Sell On Any Other Platforms?

Quick question: What marketplace platforms do you sell on? Please click all that apply below.

Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Etsy, Shopify, Other

Just like investing, it’s smart to diversify into as many marketplaces as possible. Some will work out, and others may not, but if you nurture the ones that show promise it will drastically increase the strength of your business.

We spent the last 7 years building our own brand from scratch. In the last two years, we started putting massive effort into building out our own Shopify store.

We just hit a $65k month on Shopify alone with a 3.8 average ROA, 4.13 blended ROA, and $26k in profit.

I feel comfortable that we will double that monthly by the end of this year.

Our view:

Amazon has a massive reach of an addicted consumer audience and is incredible for reselling products that are already selling well. It’s also a great place to sell your own products if your products are good AND you have the patience to build out your listings correctly, get real reviews, and learn how to convert ads to boost your ranks.

Shopify gives you 100% control over building your own brand with minimal fees and headaches. Everything is in your own hands.

We love both.

We are also slowly getting Etsy and Walmart rolling, and we will keep you updated on progress there.

Sellers Livid Over Amazon’s New Reimbursement Policy

Amazon sure does have the knack for pissing on everyone’s cereal sometimes.

In a recent announcement, the Ecomm Overlord stated that it had updated its Amazon FBA Inventory Reimbursement policy, and under this new policy, starting March 10, 2025, they will only be reimbursing sellers the manufacturing cost of products that will be damaged or lost prior to customer order. Previously, Amazon reimbursed sellers for the sales price minus the applicable fees.

Amazon sellers are losing their sh*t.

Sellers are quick to point out that most of them do not manufacture the products they sell, and the manufacturing cost has nothing to do with the seller’s cost and the actual value of the inventory.

It’s easy to get lost in the angry mob, but that just robs you of your energy too.

Be proactive.

As e-commerce sellers since 1998, and Amazon sellers since 2013, we’ve found that being proactive is the best thing to do in these situations. Here are some things that you can do for now to manage this policy change:

Whatever happens, do not let Amazon decide how much you’ll be reimbursed. Amazon will be releasing a tool near the end of this month which will allow you to dial in your manufacturing cost. If you don’t, Amazon will supply the manufacturing cost based on their estimates.
As early as now, start planning to restructure/reduce your costs. Take note that when this policy kicks in, you’ll lose out on about 50% of your Lost, Damaged, Destroyed Inventory reimbursements. You have until March 10 to plan on increasing your bottom line.

A prepared business is the best weapon.

Important Amazon Seller Updates Fo Yo’ Bad Self

New Product Title Policy Rolls on January 21, 2025 – Amazon is updating its product title policy, and the following new requirements for product titles will take effect on January 21:

Titles may not exceed 200 characters (including spaces and applies to most product categories).
No special characters (!, $, ?, _, {, }, ^, ¬, and ¦), unless they’re part of the brand name. We aren’t sure if 8======D will still work.
Words in the title may only be repeated twice (except for prepositions, articles, and conjunctions).

To fix non-compliant product titles, use the Manage Your Inventory Tool.

Also, brand owners will receive correction suggestions from Amazon and will have 14 days to act before Amazon automatically updates titles.

Prime-exclusive Discounts Now Integrated into Price Discounts Tool

Take note: the Prime Exclusive Discount tool was removed from Seller Central last January 7, 2025. Any discount created in this tool will run until its scheduled end time.

The updated Price Discount tool now supports Prime-exclusive and all-customer discounts.

Improved Notifications for Image Issues

Amazon has improved its notifications for image issues, and will now include the following key changes:

Notifications for previously unannounced image issues
Guidance that explains how to fix image issues

Use Amazon’s Free AI-powered Image Generator

Brands can now create custom, brand-themed imagery for their products using Amazon’s free AI-powered Image Generator.

Returnuary: A Deeper Dive

According to a report, overall returns in retail accounted for 13.21% of total retail sales in 2024. While we don’t have the exact number for Amazon, we can expect it to either be in that ballpark or even exceed that number.

Returnuary will be a little different, probably a bit tougher, this year. Let’s quickly revisit 2024 and review the changes:

Last June, Amazon introduced a returns processing fee which generally costs around $2-4 dollars for products that exceed the return rate threshold for their product categories.
Last year, Amazon also introduced the “Frequently Returned” badge. The badge, Amazon’s take on the Scarlet Letter, is slapped on the product pages of products that exceed an above-average rate of return, and is a definite conversion-killer.

Amazon sellers continue to be hounded by fraudulent returns and “wardrobing.” According to a report, 60% of retailers have experienced “wardrobing” – a situation which occurs when a shopper buys an item, uses it, and then returns it. Additionally, another report found that 19% of Amazon shoppers have lied about their reasons for returning an item just to get free shipping.

Don’t let returns kill your hard-earned Q4 profits. Here are some things that you can do to manage returns better:

Know the specific return rate threshold for the categories your products are classified under.
Take note of your product’s return fees, and make sure to review if your product is still profitable.
If your product is over the return threshold, sell it at a higher price.
Avoid extra charges by turning on the “Returnless Returns” option for your most returned products.

Navigating Trump’s Tariff Threats

President Trump’s proposal to impose a 10% tariff on Chinese goods will have a significant effect on Amazon sellers who import their products from China.

Expert Kian Gulzari was a recent guest on the Seller Sessions podcast, and enumerated steps affected sellers can take now to start mitigating this possibility:

Using a cost calculator, assess how a 10% increase on your landed cost will impact your business.
If profit margins are slim, renegotiate with your supplier to reduce costs.
Diversify your supply chain. Source from other countries like India, Vietnam, or El Salvador.

Long term, Gulzari says that Amazon sellers must focus on building strong supplier relationships, leverage annual forecasting, understand factory processes, optimize costs, and future-proof their supply chain.

Listen to the full Seller Sessions pod here.

Happy Birthday, Jeff

Last January 12, the Emperor of All Things Amazon – El Hefe himself, Jeff Bezos, turned 61 years young.

Check out young Jeffrey’s personal and career highlights here.

OA News, Tips, & Tricks

2025 OA Calendar – Get your sourcing schedule sorted as early as now. Take note and start planning for these key sourcing holidays.

Account for Your Returns – Returnuary is real, and it’s very important to understand the true cost of returns to make sure you’re accounting for your returns properly.

Underrated Product Categories – In this podcast episode, 10 top Amazon sellers share profitable product categories and product types they feel are often overlooked.

Soup Up Your Sourcing Skills – Check out these following posts on X to upgrade your sourcing skills:

Know Your Target Revenue – Need to know your target revenue so that you can make crucial business decisions this year? Check out this sheet – you’ll only need to input three pieces of data to know your target revenue.

This Week in Seller School

Blog Posts

Navigating Amazon’s 2025 Fee Updates: What Sellers Need to Know by Online Seller Solutions
Upcoming Amazon Policy Changes in 2025: Essential Updates for Sellers by SellerEngine
Five Trade Issues for Online Sellers in 2025 by Ecommerce Bytes
How Can Optimizing Around Customer Intent Boost Your Conversions by AMZ One Step
Amazon Appeal Process [Reasons, Strategies & Mistakes to Avoid] by GETIDA

Other Quick Clicks

OA LEADS SPECIAL

PS. As a thanks, you can use promo code ROUNDHOUSE100 for 25% off any open online arbitrage leads list at fbaleadlist.com for the next 3 days.

Click here to view lists.

Returnuary got us all like….

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100 in the books + marketplace vote